American frontiers shaped by 'proud, hearty clan from the hills of Ulster', US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells major European conference
The US Secretary of State has praised ‘proud and hearty’ Ulster folk who shaped America’s frontiers.
Speaking at a major European conference in Munich, during which he hymned US links with the countries of its peoples’ forefathers, Marco Rubio said: “Our first colonies were built by English settlers, to whom we owe not just the language we speak but the whole of our political and legal system.
“Our frontiers were shaped by Scots-Irish – that proud, hearty clan from the hills of Ulster that gave us Davy Crockett and Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt and Neil Armstrong.”
Adding that America’s mid-west was built by German farmers and craftsmen, while French fur traders led major expansion, and the rodeos and ranches synonymous with the west were born in Spain, he added: “For us Americans, our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.”
His comments came sought to reconcile ties between the US and Europe after recent turmoil in the transatlantic relationship.
Mr Rubio insisted the fate of the United States and Europe “will always be intertwined”, as he said that Donald Trump “demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe” because “we care deeply about your future and ours”.
He also, however, hit out at the United Nations, and warned that the “rules-based global order” which grew out of the end of the Cold War had been a “dangerous delusion”.
European defence and the future of the transatlantic relationship were on the agenda at the conference, at a time when America’s commitment to Nato has been called into question.
In the wake of Mr Rubio’s speech, officials from Europe who addressed the gathering made clear that they in turn will stand by their values, including their approaches to free speech, climate change and free trade.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that Europe must defend “the vibrant, free and diverse societies that we represent, showing that people who look different to each other can live peacefully together, that this isn’t against the tenor of our times”.
On Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Mr Rubio’s speech sent an important message that America and Europe will remain intertwined.
“It is also clear that we don’t see eye to eye on all the issues and this will remain the case as well, but I think we can work from there,” she said.
Mr Rubio is not the only major American politician to highlight the country’s deep ties to Ulster, as vice-president JD Vance has talked about his roots here. “To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart,” he wrote in Hillbilly Elegy, in his bestselling memoir.
Vice-President Vance, 41, was born in Ohio with family roots in Kentucky. His ancestry can possibly be traced back to Coagh in Co Tyrone, and Stormont’s Department for Communities has been trying to verify that history.